White Romance
by Lightning Blade
Summary: Sasuke is an ordinary high-school boy, whose mother went missing when he was little. Nobody told him what had happened, except the word 'divorce'. Nobody would ever tell him anything, even if he asked. So he kept quiet. Until something strange happened...
1. Chapter 1:My Brother, My Mother

All Naruto characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, and the song 'Beautiful Girls' is owned by Sean Kingston.

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Chapter 1-My Brother, My Mother

From Sasuke's Point of View

No matter how many times I looked at the _same_ old school, it still looked dreadful and boring. When I meant 'dreadful' and 'boring', it was not because of the architecture. It was a temple ages ago, and it did not mean anything to me. But my heart beat louder and louder every step I made to the class. Do you know why? Even though I have been going to the _same_ school for approximately seven years, there is not much difference in my life. Going to school means going to study, but studying in the _same_ school everyday would not be fun. At least, not fun for me. The purpose of me being in a school had always been the _same_ for me: study, study, study. I was on tenterhooks that this year would be the _same_ like last year.

However, my life would not be the _same_ again after that fateful day.

After giving my name to the disciplinarian whose name is Miss Tsunade, I sat at the most front of the class. My father had bought me a new pair of spectacles, enabling me to take the back seat of the class, but I had always preferred to face my teachers. I could study better and pay more concentration in class; though I hate studying as much as the other pupils, I tried my best to be the top of the class. My brother did not have the same reason of facing the teachers. 'Facing the teachers' for him means he could easily pull pranks on any unwary teachers. He told Mr.Orochimaru that his trousers were unzipped. In the end, he had to write 100 times of 'Mr.Orochimaru zipped his trousers' on the board for telling a 'white lie'.

His name is Itachi Uchiha, by the way.

Miss Tsunade, the tallest teacher in the school, took a deep breath before speaking loudly,

"Class! Welcome back to the Greenhouse Academy! Sit comfortably and…"

A few typical girls giggled at the word 'Greenhouse', interrupting Miss Tsunade's speech. She gave a cold stare at them, before she continued,

"Kill all your stupidity before moving forward to this year. Do you hear me?"

There was a long pause. A beautiful butterfly was flying gracefully near the blackboard.

"DO YOU HEAR ME?" Miss Tsunade roared.

"Yes, teacher!" Everyone chorused, including me. I was shaken by her coldness. She really means 'business' this time.

"Good!" She clapped her hands and walked to the blackboard, her green scarf flowed freely across her thin neck.

"I am Tsunade and I am your Maths teacher this year. Those who cannot spell my name, keep your eyes peeled."

Miss Tsunade scribbled her name on the blackboard clumsily. Naruto, my best friend who was sitting next to me in the same desk, chanted the alphabets softly: "T-S-U-N-A-D-E."

"I would not forgive any student who spelt my name wrongly, whether it is on purpose or not on purpose. Talking about 'purpose', Mr.Uchiha, you have a new 'purpose' in this class. Stand up."

My mind became blank. Naruto nudged my arm impatiently, whispering, "Miss Tsunade told you to stand up, you know."

I stood up, my heart throbbing dramatically.

"Mr.Uchiha?" The 'lioness' said curtly, "Is the seat next to you vacant?" Her long bony finger pointed at Naruto's chair. Naruto's blue eyes widened, his body shivering in fear with a perplexed state of mind.

"Naruto's sitting there…" I said, stating the obvious.

"Then Naruto has to move," Miss Tsunade said with finality, "Mr. Uzumaki. Sit at the back, please."

Naruto, as fast as lighting, rushed to take a seat at the back corner far away from me. I lamented softly, "Oh no…"

I sat down, feeling defeated. For your information, that was the first time Naruto and I had to sit apart far away from each other. What is Miss Tsunade planning to do?

"Perfect," Miss Tsunade smiled wickedly and called out, "Sakuno!"

She called a name that is unknown to me. Then came a girl creeping towards Miss Tsunade. The girl wore the most pinkish ribbons on her pink hair, and they seemed to bounce together as she walked. My curiosity sparked, wanting to get a glimpse of her face, but I could not do so. She was covering her face with her school bag, which was also pink in colour.

"Class, she is our new student and her name is Sakuno," Miss Tsunade announced.

"Sakura. S-A-K-U-R-A. Sakura Haruno," The girl muttered silently.

Completely unaware of the stifled giggling that came from the girls, Miss Tsunade spoke coolly,

"Sorry, Miss Haruno. Please take your seat next to Mr.Uchiha, our new class monitor."

My jaw dropped. Is it just me or I heard Miss Tsunade claiming that I am the new class monitor?

"Yes, Mr. Uchiha. You are our new class monitor. Congratulations," Miss Tsunade answered as if she could read my mind. She clapped her hands robotically, followed by the stiff applause of the class. I was in a pool of doubt; Sasuke Uchiha is the class monitor?

"Impossible!" I yelped.

"Possible. I have made you my new class monitor, and I expect you to do as I say. My wish is your command." Her fiery eyes set on mine, "Do-you-hear-me?"

I gulped, unable to say anything.

"DO YOU HEAR ME?" she barked, causing the whole class to shudder.

"Yes, sir! No! Yes, Madam!" I stuttered.

Suddenly, I heard a girlish giggle. Sakura put down her bag and smiled affectionately. Her beautiful face was really pleasing to the eyes, much to my amazement. There was something bewitching in her pale emerald eyes. She gently pulled the chair out from the small desk and sat on it with much poise. Throughout the Algebra lesson, we never talked. Not a word. Not even a single alphabet!

I was glad that the awkward silence was all over when Miss Tsunade said, "You may go for recess now."

O O O

"You're way too beautiful girl. That's why I said it'll never work. You'll make me suicidal, suicidal…"

"Cut it out, Itachi! That's not funny!" I threw my crumpled Mentos wrapper at Itachi, who dodged it expertly. His best friends, Kakashi and Guy, who were sitting at the dusty table in the abandoned store room at school, guffawed at this hilarious sight.

"Missed me! Better luck next time!" Itachi laughed, his chubby face beaming unnaturally at me, "Sasuke, if you like the girl, you better tell her, monitor."

Itachi's eyes lighted up and all I could do is staring at him. How does he know about the girl? Maybe we have telepathy, but we have to be twins to have that kind of supernatural relationship. This is indeed creepy, and the girl is creepier.

"We haven't talked at all," I said briefly.

I was gazing at the dust in the floor, hoping that what I said did not matter much to Itachi. I was praying that he would not take my 'crush' seriously, but the subject on 'crush' was what that mattered to him the most. When he said that he did not like to study, he really meant it. It cannot be debated that Itachi was the most notorious student in the school history. There was once where he cheekily went to test the conductivity of Mr.Jiraiya's wig. When it was returned to Mr.Jiraiya, it had become something like Guy's hair.

"Opps! Too much electron balls in the acid, Mr.Jiraiya."

I remembered Itachi saying that as an explanation to the angry Chemistry teacher. Mr.Jiraiya immediately gave him some extra Chemistry classes. (In the world of Chemistry, there is no such thing as 'electron balls'.) It was not a surprise to me that Itachi gave a stupid answer; at least, he did not say things like 'fish balls' or 'footballs' or any other terms that a seventeen-year-old would never be expected to say.

Itachi is seventeen years old. Unbelievable? Believe it.

"You're sure that Itachi was delivered first?"

I asked my father once, when Itachi was busily turning my worksheets to 'origami aircrafts'. Dad, who was just too engrossed in the newspaper, did not hear me but Itachi did; he gave me this 'what the hell did you just say?' look. I had no choice but to give up and say,

"Because Itachi looks too young to be my 'big' brother…"

It was not really a compliment, but Itachi was happy with it anyway. If only Mum was there, I would have asked her myself: Is Itachi really my elder brother? But that would not happen; my mother had disappeared when I was seven, after divorcing Dad. No one knew what happened. The last thing I remembered about her was the sound of her voice singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" to me. From what my Granny told me, Mom's favourite 'hobby' was singing to me, while bathing me in a bath tub.

"Your mother really loves you," my Granny's croaky voice was still as clear as crystal in my head. That was seven years ago, after Mom left me and Itachi in the lurch.

"If she loves me, why did she have to go? Doesn't she love me anymore?" I cried to my grandmother, who was hugging me closer to her. Her wrinkly hand ran through my dark blue hair comfortingly, but no words of comfort were spoken. I felt that Granny was hiding something from me, something which cannot be told to anyone, like a 'dark secret'.

"You'll find out someday, Sasuke. About the truth. About everything," Granny said with a promising smile, her weak hand patting my shoulder.

The truth would come someday. I just have to wait.

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End of Chapter 1

I hope that you like this chapter. Reviews are appreciated. :)


	2. Chapter 2:Phantom Killer

**Hello! I felt so relieved that I was able to finish my chapter 2, but actually, I am still wondering whether my first chapter is all right. I have not received any reviews. --**

**But that's okay! I just continue with the story, because I enjoy writing it, and I hope that you enjoy reading it too. :)**

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Chapter 2 - Phantom Killer

From Sasuke's Point of View

I waited and waited for the truth to be unraveled. Day and night took turns to rule the sky, and time passed by so fast. But my Granny still did not tell me anything, until the day she had to pass on. I regretted that I did not plead with her to tell me the reason why my Mom had to go away out of my life. On top of that, I regretted that I did not save her, when I had the chance to do so.

I still remembered that it was a sunny Sunday. Itachi and I were at home, watching television, drawing cartoons, playing hide-and-seek and anything that could make any child happy. We were very happy, but not for long. Itachi had a bad habit of sneaking out every time Granny was not looking, and Granny had to thwart his plan every time.

"Grandma!" Itachi shouted in a pleading tone to Granny, who was 'guarding' the door, "I want to play football, so let me out!"

Granny's sympathetic eyes looked down at my brother, "No, you mustn't go out. It's dangerous out there," she said with a concerned voice.

"I can take care of myself, so please, you gotta let me out!" My brother's foot stepped onto the carpeted floor violently.

"No! Itachi, like I told you, it's really dangerous out there," Granny argued.

My ten-year-old brother daggered at my Granny in the eyes and said grudgingly, "I hate you."

Granny's face changed. That warm smile on her old face disappeared, but she did not take her eyes off my brother's. I decided that it was the high time for me to interfere, after I had been watching idly in the 'audience seat' for so long.

"Bro, you can't say like that to Grandma! That's so rude!" I stood up from the couch in the living room.

"So get used to it!" Itachi scowled. He thumped up the stairs towards his room, and slammed the door hard.

My eyes lingered at Granny's face, hoping that she was not angry. A small tear formed in her right eye; from that, I knew that what she was feeling at that moment was clearly worse than feeling angry. She was very disappointed, not at the fact of Itachi claiming that he hated her, but at the fact that she had failed to be a good grandmother… a perfect grandmother for me and my brother. In the bottom of my heart, she would always be my perfect grandmother, knowing that everything (like not allowing Itachi and me to go out during the late evenings) she did was for our own good. The fault is with the town that we lived in, Hidden Leaves. Hidden Leaves was a very 'famous' Japanese town for its unsolved murder cases. In other words, it was a 'ghost town'. Murders were so frequent that everybody was afraid of letting their young ones to go out alone. My Granny was no exception.

We thought that our home was the safest place to 'hide'. How very wrong we were…

On the same day, I confronted my sulking elder brother, who was watching 'Star Search', a singing competition live on television. A ten-year-old Britney Spears was performing a classic old song, 'I'll Be There'. She was so innocent that it is hard to believe how she has turned out to be now.

"Bro, go apologize to Grandma. You hurt her feelings," I sat next to Itachi, whose eyes still set upon the television screen.

"Itachi!" I pulled his arm with purpose, but he slapped my hand away.

"Shut up! I'm trying to listen!" He said, pointing at the singing Britney Spears. I was heading for the remote control on the coffee table, when Itachi suddenly barked,

"You'll turn the TV off and I'll kill you!"

Biting my lips hard, I folded my arms on my chest; I had no choice but to wait for the popular show to end. "What's the big deal about this show?" I thought. The last time I watched the singing competition, the better singer was eliminated, whereas a more beautiful opponent with a flawed voice went through the next round. I shook my head sadly, and turned to see the latticed window in the small living room. The gate at our house garden was widely open. My heart stopped. Didn't Grandma lock the gate this morning?

_Piang!_ A shattering sound echoed throughout the house. The source of the noise seemed to come from the back of the house. Itachi scrambled to his feet and ran to the kitchenette. I followed him behind, complaining,

"Now when something happens, you go see-"

I was unable to continue my words, as I saw shiny red fluid on our path. Our Granny was sprawled motionlessly in a pool of blood on the tiled floor. Itachi gasped out a soft "I'm sorry, Grandma.", as tears flowed down his pale cheeks.

Cops tried their best to search for the murderer, but their efforts were futile. According to their investigation, the fingerprints found at the crime scene did not exist. Other than that, no murder weapon was found. The weirdest thing of all is that the only damaged organ in my Granny's body is the heart. Her heart was torn into pieces, like it exploded. Everything in her body was in perfect shape, except her one and only heart. "That killer is no human being. He's a 'phantom killer'," my inspector uncle concluded.

That is all about my Granny. I wished that I could add more, but that's all about it. Itachi took her demise quite badly. After her funeral, he did not attend school for a few days. In an effort to cure his depression, my Dad sent him to the best therapist three times a week. I thanked God that he had recovered, but I had a bad feeling that he was still taking the blame for Granny's death.

"Itachi, it's not your fault that Grandma passed on," I told my brother on our ride home from school. Anyway, I still had not spoken a word to Sakura, but I had opted to put that problem aside.

Itachi widened his large eyes and said incredulously, "Why are you telling me this?"

I scratched my head, thinking of what to say, "Er…well…I just think that it's not your fault that Grandma passed on."

I looked over the bus passengers at the wet windscreen, which indicated that it was still raining cats and dogs outside. My heart was praying silently that by the time I reached home, the heavy rain would stop falling. Being a sufferer from 'hydrophobia', I was greatly terrified of large bodies of water, including rain. My Dad said that I almost got drowned in the bathtub, but I could not remember anything of it.

A sad and painful memory is best to be forgotten.

"Sasuke, I appreciate that. Thanks," Itachi, who was sitting beside me, spoke, "I have a great surprise for you. I promise that you'll flip at this. You know about this concert at school to celebrate fifty-years-anniversary? I signed you up as my bassist. Cool, huh?"

"Cool," I said meekly, before I realized that his word 'you' in his line was actually referring to me. "What? I never agreed to be your bassist!" I said out aloud.

Itachi breathed in some air and exhaled, "I'm sorry that I did not ask you before, but you gotta trust me. You'll be a good bassist."

I smiled half-heartedly and stuttered, "You're kidding, right? Tell me you're kidding. I tell you what: I don't play bass guitar."

"You don't play, but that doesn't mean you can't play. Didn't you learn to play bass before? Five years ago?" Itachi stressed, his fingers tapping on his knees.

"That-was-five-years-ago. Besides, Naruto only taught me the basics," I said sullenly.

About five years ago, Naruto taught me how to play a rhythm guitar, before switching it to a bass guitar. Like Itachi, Naruto was very enthusiastic about rock bands. Not for me; I prefer to read books about rocks and geology. I was never interested in handling a guitar at first, but Naruto pleaded with me that I had to try learning to play the musical instrument for the sake of killing time. I learnt well, and it was fun, but it was not really my cup of tea.

"No problem. Kakashi and Guy can teach you a thing or two. Playing a bass is not that hard, monitor. You can get 'hot' girls really easy," Itachi said, with his tongue stuck out in a playful manner.

"I'm not interested in girls," I stated defiantly.

He chuckled, "Whatever. But if you change your mind about being my bassist…"

I put on a brave front and announced, "I won't change my mind."

The bus came to a halt so abruptly that I nearly flipped out of my seat. Itachi laughed his heart out, as he took his bag and alighted from the bus. I followed suit, gazing at the bluish white clouds in the serene sky. It looked like the rain had stopped, much to my delight.

"Sasuke," Itachi nudged my shoulder, pointing at a girl standing near our pitch black gate, "Is that your 'girlfriend'?"

Sakura was waving at us; her yellow polka-dotted red dress was a silhouette to the whole dirty green environment. She had an oval face frame with perfectly-shaped cheek bones. As a finishing touch to her beauty, her wavy pink hair was flowing passed her shoulders down to her waist. Her lips curled to a sweet smile.

"You left your book on your desk." She placed my Mathematics text book gently in my hands, and added, "Keep it safe. You don't want to lose it again."

"Thank you so much! No wonder I feel something's wrong, like my bag is lighter," I hugged my thick, heavy book to my chests.

"Don't mention it. I have to thank my Dad, or else, I can't find my way here. My Dad's a cop, F.Y.I. (for your information). Without him, there's no way I know about your house address," said Sakura.

Itachi smirked cheekily and leaned closer to my ear, "Be careful with her, Sasuke. Her Dad's a cop."

I made a fake cough, shooting him a piercing look, hoping that he would shut his foul mouth. His puppy eyes winked at me, implying something that a teenager would understand. I was a teenager, so I understood his meaning thoroughly. But I pretended not to. Having a 'crush' was not for me; a 'crush' can really crush those who are careless enough to let their guard down.

"It's getting late. I'll see you around, Sakura. Bye bye!" I sprinted towards the gate and unlocked it frantically. Behind me, Itachi shouted, "Sasuke, that's really pathetic!"

I was not going to ask her to come into my house, and I was not going to be a bassist.

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**End Of Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3:Deidara and Sasori

**This is the Chapter 3! I hope that you like it, and please give me your comments!**

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Chapter 3 –Deidara and Sasori

From the author's point of view

Fugaku's secretary, who was still holding her table phone close to her ear, waited for her employer to speak.

"Mr.Uchiha? Mr.Uchiha?" The lady secretary repeated his name, in case if he had hung up the phone.

"Just let him in," Fugaku sighed tiredly, scratching the jaded sea of lines on his forehead. Without waiting for any reply from his secretary, he put down the expensive table phone. He went pacing left and right in his office, his mind racing with anxiety, trying to figure out what his former wife wanted from him. His pulse was rising higher and higher. Finally, the door opened to reveal a handsome figure, who was smirking evilly.

"I have come in behalf of my client, Miss Mikoto Uchiha. Call me Deidara…mmhm," The man declared.

Fugaku held out his hand to shake. Deidara did not reach for his hand; instead, he stared at it with his striking blue right eye, his thin lips curling into a twisted, mocking smile.

"I don't shake hands. You _mutts_ are very nice and polite and loving people…mmhm."

"What did he mean by 'mutts'?" Fugaku's heart whispered angrily. He gave a curious look at the young man, who was standing solidly in front of him. Deidara chuckled meaningfully to himself. A tuft of blonde hair that fully covered his left eye was shaking along with him as well. The room suddenly turned cold and grim, as Deidara started a proper conversation.

"My client wants his son back. His name is Sasuke," he said, his bored eyes examining his dark purple fingernails.

"Are you sure you're a lawyer? You young fellow don't look like a lawyer," Fugaku said, his straining eyes cast an odd look at Deidara's weird-looking fingernails. There was an air about Deidara, a sinister air which was proven by his gothic attire. His choice of attire was a long jacket with wild fleur-de-lis patterns. He had a long, blonde horse tail on top of his head, like how a woman would tie up her hair. But he was not a woman, and he was not any ordinary man. Fugaku could not seem to ignore how blue his right eye was; there was an eternal blue flame in that eye alone. He could not believe that that stranger was wearing any contact lenses; his blue eye seemed _real_.

Deidara looked away from his painted nails to Fugaku, saying between chuckles, "I am much more than you think I am. Hand over Sasuke to us or I'll show you who I truly am…mmhm."

Fugaku's heart was pumping with _fear_. Before he could grab his phone to call for security, Deidara pulled him by his neck, lifting his 'victim' up from the office chair. Sasuke's father gasped for air, his hands clutching at Deidara's strong hands on his throat. He was in the mid-air, his legs flailing helplessly for any support but to no avail. Deidara smirked with satisfaction, his eye brightened at the scared look on Fugaku's face.

"This is what you get for not listening to me…mmhm," he looked up at Fugaku in the frightened eyes, "Tell me! Where is Sasuke?"

"I won't tell…over my…dead body…" Fugaku said chokingly.

"You rather keep your son than value your life? You _mutts_ sure are very nice and polite and loving people," Deidara tightened his grasp on Fugaku's suffocated neck. He was more than ready to finish him off, when he heard a tingling ring in his ear.

_Deidara, I hate to interrupt you, but let me remind you once again: Don't go overboard._

"Master Sasori, didn't I tell you not to disturb me when I'm in the middle of something...mmhm?" Deidara said with bared teeth, prompting yet another ring to pierce his murderous thoughts.

_How many times do I have to repeat myself? Don't-go-overboard._

Deidara gritted his teeth in contempt. He gave Fugaku a final malicious stare, before he dropped him onto the hard marble floor. The manager's body did not move or flinch. Smirking with pure cruelty and disdain, Deidara scoffed,

"That mutt fainted. Typical mutt….mmhmm!" He kicked Fugaku's head hard in the already bruised face, triggering silver red liquid to roll down the corner of his lips.

_The third 'don't go overboard' from me._

Deidara bits his lips violently, as he heard the same sarcastic voice that seemed to have conquered his mind. He stared sadistically at the office door, as if yearning to pounce on it. "Bang!" he fired up, and the steel door exploded to flying dust and ashes. Screams of terror greeted the sooty air. Deidara's fiery eye brightened once more at this, making a few long steps towards the fleeing company workers- his _delicious, mouth-watering_ 'preys'. His cup of contentment was over-flowing. He wore a crooked smile on his face, and his shadowed eye shifting to the person kneeling and shaking, but a few feet away.

Deidara was licking his lips. Suddenly, a red-haired man appeared out of nowhere, blocking his way. He said in a low, hushed voice, "Make another step further, and I'll end your life before you could say the word 'bang'."

"Bang!"

The second explosion erupted in a blink of an eye, burning the very spot where the red-haired man was standing. Deidara's eagle eye was burning like a hungry flame, searching high and low for any corpse in the spiraling black smoke. His blue right eye, no matter how hard he strained it, could not see a pair of beady black eyes that was watching his every movement silently.

"Aaak!" Deidara gasped, his shaky hands clutching at his vulnerable neck. He could feel a large hand strangling his neck, and he could not breathe. "_How can a mere illusion be so painful?_" his heart screamed in an excruciating pain, almost pleading for help. His legs weakened slowly but surely, as they bended on their knees.

The red-haired man frowned, as though he was disappointed with what he saw.

"Say 'bang' again, and I'll 'bang' you," he folded his empty arms on his chests, his dazzling black eyes focused intently on Deidara's neck.

Deidara stared at his partner in the eyes, trying not to betray a hint of misery, pain and desperation. A looming noise was growing louder and louder in the vicinity.

"Mas-ter…" He said, his throat burning intensely, "L-L-L Let-me-go."

The red-haired man snapped his fingers lazily, looking away from Deidara's twisted face. Deidara coughed, clutching at his neck as though it was the most precious thing to him in the world. The painful ordeal was over, and he was free to breathe now. Slowly, he lifted his blurred vision at his _food – It's gone._

"Our job here is to kill Sasuke, and no one else," Sasori said emotionlessly, his back facing Deidara, who was still kneeling on the ground and ventilating. He added, "That is Phantom's order, not mine."

"Terrorists don't take orders from anyone…mmhmm," Deidara's bloodshot eye smirked at Sasori's behind, which was covered by a long maroon cape. Sasori was wearing a set of dark clothes, and a long katana was tucked neatly at his belt. His shirt had the same identical fleur-de-lis as the floral patterns on Deidara's long jacket.

"I don't care who you are, terrorist or not," Sasori said indifferently, "We only kill if it's necessary. For now, our target is solely 'Sasuke'."

Deidara tightened his knuckles, lifted himself up from the floor and held a jabbing stare at his 'partner'. When he had his eye fixed upon his accomplice, he noticed that his feet were shaking with the earth. Strong unnatural breezes whipped against his sunken cheeks, as though a stormy monsoon was coming their way.

"Master Sasori, is this a storm?" Deidara said cautiously.

"No, look at that," Sasori's blood-tainted cape was flapping freely, his finger pointing directly at the open office window.

Deidara narrowed his bright eye at the unfamiliar flying object. His honey blonde hair that covered half of his face flew messily, revealing an empty eye socket.

A large, threatening police helicopter was facing Deidara and Sasori through the window. The rotating blade on the huge vehicle pierced through the cold air, clearing clouds of dirty mist trapped in the small chamber. Assertive and distinct, the pilot in the ominous-looking chopper spoke through a loud speaker, "Attention! You are surrounded by us! Drop your weapons, please, and we promise not to hurt you!"

Deidara smirked disdainfully, feeling sardonic of the 'we promise not to hurt you' line. _Nice and polite and loving mutts...mmhmm._ His head keenly turned to Sasori for some assurance, to ensure that his partner would not interrupt him fulfilling his sweet desire again. Sasori gave an imperceptible nod, which meant…

"Bang!"

End of Chapter 3


	4. Chapter 4:Fear and Regret

Chapter 4-Fear and Regret

From Sasuke's point of view – 20 minutes before the tragedy 

I looked miserably at the clock. Half past eight. Where had Dad gone to? He was supposed to be at home at eight. I was quite worried for my father's safety, knowing how punctual he was. Shaking my thoughts of _fear_ out of my head, I turned back to my homework so I could finish it as soon as possible. I hate to procrastinate in completing my homework, which had often come to me in a large pile.

"Sasuke, I'm going out for a walk!" Itachi suddenly called out from anywhere but my bedroom.

"Okay! Enjoy your walk!" I said spontaneously, not taking my eyes off my homework.

"Sasuke! Sakura told me that she's coming to see you!" Itachi's voice echoed, much to my dismay.

"Tell her I'm very busy!" I said through clenched teeth, my fingers still working in an effort to achieve 100 percent completion of my final homework, Literature in English essay.

Itachi replied, "Should I really tell her that? She's already here!"

"What?" I blurted out loudly. Itachi's words could not enter into my tangled mind properly. I sprinted out my bedroom, thumped down the stairs and stopped halfway.

Sakura was already sitting on the couch in the living room, her pretty face beaming at me.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke. How are you?" Sakura slanted her head slightly in a ladylike manner. She was wearing a long emerald skirt to match her adorable, pink blouse. Her beautiful-as-a-picture image really blew me away and gave a lasting impression on me.

"I'm wowed…no, sorry! What I meant to say is: I'm fine," I spoke, scratching my non-itchy head goofily.

"It's good to hear that you're fine. Itachi told me that you have been confined in your room for three hours," Sakura said, her hands remained neatly on her lap.

"Well, about that, I wasn't sick. I was…huh… doing my homework," I said uncomfortably.

The thing about me is that every time I tell my friends that I am doing homework, they would laugh at me, calling me a 'nerd'. I did not want Sakura to think of me as a 'nerd', even though she might not call me one.

Sakura sighed, "Me too. I was doing my homework, until I have to buy some groceries at town. Then I thought of visiting you, since I passed by your house."

"I guess we're in the same boat then," I smiled with relief that she was not like any of my insensitive friends.

"Sasuke, care to accompany me to town? That would be fun and lovely, don't you think?" She said, as her rosy cheeks went pink.

"Uhh…Yeah, why not? Excuse me, Sakura. I go get dressed," I spoke half-heartedly, and walked back upstairs to change into something more appropriate for the cold weather. I was not used to leaving my homework unfinished on the study table, but I hate to disappoint her. Speaking of disappointment, I was totally disappointed with my elder brother. He was supposed to let me know earlier that Sakura was coming. I also wondered where Itachi had gone to.

Whatever Itachi was doing or wherever he was going to was certainly not my business, so I just let the matter rest.

After making sure that every door and window in the terrace house was locked, Sakura and I took a bus to town. When we arrived there, the bus halted at a bus stop, which was situated near a 'Popular' book store. The town was no more crowded as it was getting late, so it was easier for both of us to walk around. Sakura took out a 'what-to-buy' list from her backpack and read it carefully.

"First, I need a storybook. We can get it from the 'Popular' bookstore," Sakura said, her large eyes still studying her list.

"A storybook?" I enquired, "Are you going to read it?"

She tore her eyes off the yellow paper sheet and laughed, "Yes, I'm going to read it! If you don't know, I'm a bookworm, and I really, really hope you don't mind about that."

I frowned, "Why should I mind about you being a bookworm?"

Sakura chuckled, and her cute dimples showed themselves, "The last time I told someone that I'm a bookworm, she called me a 'nerd'. Funny, isn't it?"

I bit my lips bitterly and said, "I don't think it's funny. To me, it's just mean for someone to call you a 'nerd'."

"Thanks for being understanding, Sasuke. Do you know that each time someone calls me a 'nerd', I feel scared? I'm scared of being judged by people, like I am some kind of a freak." She rocked her head from side to side slightly.

"It's okay to be scared," I said comfortingly, "As a matter of fact, I'm scared of large bodies of water. Imagine how scared I would be if I were to bathe in a bathtub. That's why my Dad got me a shower instead."

Sakura giggled politely, her beautiful eyes looking fully into mine, "Your father is very thoughtful. He must have loved you very much."

I think a helicopter was hovering somewhere above the town, because I could hear its ear-deafening sound that was piercing my eardrums.

"Yeah, he can be thoughtful, but he can be strict with me at times. Don't tell this to anyone especially my Dad: I'm not supposed to go out at this time of hour. Dad wouldn't let me," I said bashfully, but then realized that my voice was already drowned by the loud, disturbing noise.

When I turned to my right, I witnessed an army of cops surrounding a large building, each armed with his pistol. Terror filled my heart instantaneously; isn't that the building where my Dad is working?

"Attention!" A male voice boomed from the helicopter, which was hovering near the industrial building, "You are surrounded by us! Drop your weapons, please, and we promise not to hurt you!"

_Boom! _The police helicopter exploded in red, releasing bits of hot metals around it. Fires had started here and there on the tarred road, and big, black clouds of smoke went up into the sky. The eyes of the town looked with horror and silence. One lady gave the loudest scream that I had heard in my life; her tortured scream was more than I could take.

"DAD!" I was rushing to the building to save my father, but Sakura grabbed my arm rudely, forestalling me to go any further. I looked up at her, realizing that she was crying.

"My Dad…in the helicopter…" she said in a choking voice.

My mind went blank, and tears of _fear_ and _regret_ started to pool at each corner of my eyes.


	5. Chapter 5: Darkness of Menace

**I almost forgot about this final chapter that I've written for this story.** **I don't know whether you guys still want to read it, since I've 'rejected' this story a long time ago. But well, I just posted it here. If you like it, give me a review! XD If you don't like it...this chapter shall be the last, huhu...**

**Just a warning: There is no Naruto world in this story. It has a modern setting (for now), and the characters are from Naruto (except one, who is an OC). The Naruto characters may be from Naruto, but they have different attitudes. In this story, Sasuke is not cool, Sakura is not Sakura, and Itachi is talkative. (XD) It's weird, but oh well, something different here...**

**For those who still want to take the 'challenge' to read it, enjoy! XD**

* * *

Chapter 4 – Darkness of Menace

From Sasuke's Point of View

I wished that I could release those tears from my eyes, but I could not do that, especially not in front of Sakura.

My eyes had just witnessed something that no one could have possibly imagined it to happen in this small town. An explosion. The explosion was not as huge as the nuclear fission made from an atomic bomb, but it was huge enough to scare anyone to death. I was paralyzed to the ground, not knowing what to say or do. Sakura was weeping on my stiff shoulders, and I felt the awful wetness of her tears on my skin. It was definitely painful to see your loved one dying in front of your eyes but unable to do anything to prevent it.

The only proof of her late father's existence was the burning metallic pieces on the tarred ground. The pungent and sickening smell of smog filled my nostrils, as the terrible explosion played itself in my grey matter again and again.

"Sasuke!" A hoarse voice shook me out from my deepening thoughts, "You kids shouldn't be here! It's too risky!"

I thought I could see my inspector uncle from a short distance, but my vision was almost completely blurred by the awful black smoke.

"Uncle..." I uttered blankly, accompanied by Sakura's soft sobbing sound.

"Get out of there! The terrorists can be anywhere nearby!" My uncle shouted throatily, "Men, check for any survivors in the building!"

"Terrorists?" The ten-letter-word took a long time to register into my entangled brain, as though the word was still new to me. Bad things then came to me all at once, not excluding the tragic, heart-breaking September 11 attack. I pulled Sakura closer to my shoulder, as I had realized that I needed comfort from her as much as she needed mine. _Is it really another September 11 attack?_ _Is this really the end of humanity?_

Suddenly, a screeching engine sound came to life, and a dark car stopped exactly right in front of us. The car door opened and popped out a head that made my jaw dropped.

"Itachi? What are you doing here?" I widened my eyes with pure disbelief and shock.

Itachi gave me a nonchalant look and said, "I can ask you the same thing; what are you doing here? Get in the car! This isn't a good place to chit-chat!"

Without wasting any second, Sakura and I quickly got into the car. After taking our seats at the passenger side, the car started to move in full speed.

"You're not supposed to drive, Itachi. You don't have a license," I spoke concernedly to my elder brother, while I still had Sakura's head on my shoulder. Her sobbing did not cease to stop, and I was worried that she was tearing herself apart.

Itachi looked at the front mirror, and his large raven eyes smiled confidently, "It takes more than a license to drive a car. I have the skills!"

I sighed and spoke morbidly, "But you don't have a license. I give up, bro. I don't want to argue with you."

"Yeah, no arguments," Itachi winked at the car mirror, "We don't want the ladies to be upset with us."

I did not realize that there were two 'ladies' in the car, until the girl sitting next to Itachi spoke for the first time.

"Hey, Sasuke. What's up?" Itachi's classmate, Suki turned to me with a miserable frown on her pale face, "Sorry, but I can't speak. Sore throat."

Suki coughed at her handkerchief, prompting a worried Itachi to say, "Suki, you gotta stop talking too much. It's bad for your throat."

"None of your-," Before Suki could utter another word, she coughed again.

Suki's face was groggy, unlike her usual cheerful expression whenever she came to have a friendly conversation with me. We always enthusiastically talked about environment and global warming, but the topic that would never fail to appear in our long conversations is about Itachi. She would go on raving to me about how undisciplined Itachi could be in her class, and how often she (being a prefect) had to demerit him for being late to school. No matter how much she complained about Itachi's bad habits, I could notice the small twinkle in her crystal blue eyes at the mention of his name.

That same twinkle could be seen again in Yuki's eyes when she was glaring at Itachi.

"Told you," Like an overgrown child, Itachi stuck his tongue at Suki and laughed jubilantly.

"Shouldn't you be bringing her to the doctor?" I asked Itachi, while my eyes were scrutinizing Suki's ghostly-white face, "She doesn't look so good."

"That's what I'm doing," Itachi replied casually, "If you don't know, we are heading to the hospital. Anyway, what were you doing with Sakura in front of the company? Dating?"

My eyes fell sadly on Sakura, whose head was resting peacefully on my shoulders. I did not know that she was already sleeping. A huge blow had been dealt against her; maybe a short nap was the only thing she needed to recover from the unbearable trauma. _Although everything that had happened just now was an act of God, was it really fair to her?_

My right index finger was poking uneasily at my left palm, as I said, "Nii-san, didn't you see the big explosion? Sakura's father could be involved and he may have…"

"Died?" Itachi continued my words curtly, "You'll get used to it."

Puzzled at what Itachi had said to me, I said with faint disbelief, "Get used to what?"

"Deaths. You're supposed to know that, my little brother. I thought you're 'wiser' than that," Itachi laughed, but I was not amused. _How could he take someone's death so lightly? Has he gone insane?_

"Itachi, this is no joke. Someone just died, and you laughed like nothing happened. I think you're out of your mind," I said, bewildered at the fact that my elder brother did not show any sign of compassion and fear.

Itachi laughed sarcastically, "That's what you think. Her father died, so what? We all gonna die someday. It's just that…we don't need to cry, because crying doesn't bring a dead person back to life. We got to get real, you know."

"I know…" I muttered sorrowfully and turned behind, watching the bright building slowly decreasing in size, fading from my sight. A few more minutes to go before the whole industrial buildings went totally out of my sight. Unimaginable horrible, violent thoughts flooded my mind; _is my father going to be all right?_

That was when I decided to take things in charge, before everything bad came to worse. I did not want tears to come to my eyes again.

"Itachi," I said pleadingly, "Can we turn back to Dad's company?"

"Huh? Why? We almost reached the hospital. I can't just turn back!" Itachi's voice grew annoyed.

"Nii-san, we can't leave our father alone. We got to…huh…get him out of there…" I ended hopelessly, wishing that I had the courage to say 'We got to save him!' like any heroes from the blockbuster movies.

"Okay!" Itachi said abruptly. He quickly turned the car steering to the far right, causing us to jerk suddenly to our left. Sakura's lips twitched, but she did not wake up, fortunately.

"Itachi, we got to save our Dad! If we have to, we'll fight! Anyway, that's from a movie I watched yesterday on T.V," Itachi said with a wink, before pushing to the fifth gear and drove the car in an inconceivable speed, which would have given me a heart attack on any other days…

_Dad, hold on._

* * *

From the author's point of view – Just after the explosion

Deidara watched the bloody remains of the helicopter scattering among themselves in the air before disappearing from his sight. His long fingers ran through his silky blonde horse tail, as he smiled silently but proudly.

"You are wasting our time, brat," Sasori said with piercing maroon eyes. His cape was still swaying in the sombre night, due to the strong breezes that came flowing from the large window.

"Your problem, not mine, mmhmm," Deidara smirked cockily, his blue eye then switched to observe at the growing masses of people on the ground below him. His fingertips rubbed his forehead with full pleasure, as he sang under his breath,

"One little, two little, three little mutts, bang…"

From the seventh floor, Deidara could see three tiny dots burst into red flames, which then ran in frantic circles before they fell onto the hard floor as charred bodies. Paramedics got down from their ambulances, and professionally brought their stretchers along and rushed to the dead policemen. Chuckling secretly, Deidara's eye burnt with fires of hell as he continued singing his song of death,

"Four little, five little, six little mutts, bang…"

Three more red dots were added into the view, and Deidara held his breath excitedly. A sinister laughter spread across his handsome face, signifying the contentment and satisfaction that flowed into each corner of his stone heart. Sasori watched at his nineteen-year-old junior from the corner of his misty red eyes.

"What is so funny?" Sasori said with authority.

Deidara smiled widely, "Have you no sense of humour? Looking at them being 'showered' with lots and lots of fire really turns me on, mmhmm."

Sasori walked closer and closer to the open window, and peered through the opening. Six dark spots were clearly visible among the throng of policemen, who were shouting curses and threats at them. Turning a blind eye to the seemingly stubborn figures of authority, Sasori turned to Deidara with an impassive face.

"Nothing special about those 'barbeque fire'," Sasori said.

"Barbeque fire?" Deidara said through gritted teeth, as though his every last bit of honour had been robbed away from him.

"As I have said, you are wasting time," Sasori's misty eyes sparkled in the bewitching darkness and billowing smoke, "Don't play with fire, Deidara. It's pointless, and it may _burn_ you when you least expected it."

"Well, at least I had fun, mmhmm," Deidara brushed his soft hair off his broad shoulders, and looked at Sasori in the eye, "Let's get started."

Sasori drew his long katana from the sheath at his leather belt and lifted it up high in the mid-air. The flawless silver blade was shimmering under the pale moonlight, lighting up the dark smoky room. With his eyes remained intent on the shiny texture of the blade, the tall man suddenly stabbed the solid marble floor with his sword.

A strange, blinding light was emitted from Sasori's two-handed sword.

"Oh my," Deidara shielded his half-closed eye from the great source of light with his hand, but he smiled nevertheless.

After a minute or two, everything turned dark and eerie. No light could be found existing in the town; only darkness that ruled over the fear of the bewildered policemen, who were in a very severe situation.

"Not bad, mmhmm. They can't see us in the dark," Deidara mused, smirking boyishly.

"No, they can't," Sasori automatically pulled his glittering sword from the small hole in the floor, "My sword can suck any energy from any particular place. In this case, it had sucked 'electricity'. This 'power failure' should give us some advantage in our mission."

"Electricity…power failure...mutts are so interesting, mmhmm," Deidara's grin widened broadly.

"We should get going. I can sense it. That boy is coming closer to us," The short-haired man said as he put his cherished sword into its rightful place. He then walked through Deidara, and fused himself with his partner.

_And don't go overboard, brat. Just do what I tell you to do._

"Right, mmhmm," Deidara smirked once more, before he jumped through the window into the awful darkness of menace.

* * *

From Sasuke's Point of View 

We almost reached Dad's company in the heart of the town, when everything around us turned dark, as dark as the night sky. The car came to an abrupt halt, as if it had already ran out of petrol. I gripped Itachi's headrest with my left hand as tightly as possible, preventing me from toppling over. At the same time, I tried not to shake too much, in order not to awaken Sakura from her peaceful slumber.

"Dang!" Itachi's voice was the first to be heard in the total darkness, "Now I can't see a thing! And the car-"

I could hear the sound of keys being fumbled frantically, but the engine went continuously dead. Other than that, I could hear the ominous sound of my heart beating furiously like a ticking time-bomb.

"Can't you do anything right, Itachi?" Suki complained, her husky voice was straining with great difficulty.

"The car won't start!" Itachi shot back.

Suki replied calmly, not betraying a hint of exasperation and fear, "Maybe it's out of gas."

"No! I just filled the tank yesterday! It can't…ah…"

Then a loud thud came to my ears, followed by another thud, which was softer than the first one. No one spoke anything. My poor heart was pumping hard, for I was very afraid of the pitch-black darkness. If it was combined with dead silence, it became my worst nightmare. With every bit of valour and determination left in me, I tried to call out 'Nii-san'. Yet, I did not know why my eyelids were becoming heavy like sinking weights…

* * *

From the author's point of view 

A dark gloved hand yanked out the passenger's door by its car handle, almost tearing the metallic door off its attachment. Deidara smiled in the shrouds of darkness, his bright eye looked steadily at the sleeping Sasuke.

"Very convenient, mmhmm. All the mutts are asleep, thanks to you, Sasori."

_I was forced to use my powers, thanks to you, Deidara. Next time, don't trigger uproars. It gets harder if their soldiers come in a large number, but they're not much a problem, once they are deep in their slumbers._

"Fine, mmhmm," Deidara said, his maniacal smile brightening his oval face, "So I take this mutt and we've done, right?"

_Just take him, and him alone. Meanwhile, I shall open the portal._

A dark translucent figure slowly emerged from Deidara's body. Deidara's bloodshot eye pierced through the sombre darkness, watching the figure form into a perfect human body. Sasori's sturdy legs shaped themselves, followed by his abdomen, and then his immobile, expressionless face as the finishing touch. Sasori studied his surroundings cautiously; he and his accomplice were standing in the middle of a traffic jam, only that none of these cars were moving.

Sasori reached again for his katana from his sheath. He strode menacingly to a more spacious area somewhere between the stationary cars, and carefully slit his wrist, but without touching any of his veins. A few drops of shiny liquid flowed from the small cut and fell onto the black tarred floor.

A small, blackish purple gate opened on the road. Without any further ado, Sasori leaped into the mysterious gate into the unknown territory.

"Show-off, mmhmm!" Resented, Deidara muttered, as he docilely grabbed Sasuke's unconscious body and slung it over his shoulder. He made his way to the magical gate, when something definitely moving caught his attention.

"Who do you think you are?" A female voice strained hard to be heard, "Where are you going with Sasuke?"

Deidara turned to his behind, to see a girl standing alone near Itachi's car, her hand was clasping to her painful throat. Her face was already beetroot red, due to the agonizing pain she had to endure, especially after she had forced herself to speak a few 'painful' lines.

"I _think_ I'm Deidara and I'm _going _to take Sasuke to his mother. Is that a problem, mmhmm?"

Deidara gave a flirtatious smirk to Suki, whose face turned redder than before, almost like a ripe tomato. _"What a good-looking guy!"_ Suki's heart blurted out, but not without any guilt and shyness. Though the darkness had nearly blinded her, she could still make out the handsome-as-a-prince face and notice his blonde ponytail.

"So…" Deidara spoke first, his eye scanning Suki from head to toe, "You're awake. It's true. To break Sasori's 'sleep' spell, you need pain. I'll remember that, mmhmm."

Suki's eyebrows rose, searching for any hidden meanings that she could understand behind those strange words. When she woke up, everybody was already sleeping soundly in an unnatural way, as though they were under some kind of spell. Then she realised that the stinging pain of her sore throat had caused to her wake up earlier than the others, which meant that Itachi, Sasuke and Sakura were still sleeping...

"You're the one who did this, aren't you?" Suki spoke, her blue eyes glaring through the stillness of the night.

"Not me," Deidara shook his head honestly, his high ponytail flailing a little, "I wouldn't want to make you mutts sleep. I want to make you mutts_ scream_."

Suki was taken aback, but she managed to keep her composure. Her hoarse voice answered, "Whatever, blondie. Let-Sasuke-go! Or-else…"

Clenching his fangs at the word 'blondie', Deidara seethed, "Or else _what_, brownie?"

"I'll kick your butt!"

Suki lunged towards Deidara, who was standing still, undaunted by what was coming towards him. With all the strength she could muster and all the 'Tae Kwan Do' skills she had learnt, she threw a punch in the direction of Deidara's smirking face. Deidara caught the moving fist with his free hand, his smirk widening even more. Suki's jaw dropped, but her laser blue eyes made contact with Deidara's. Yet, she knew she could not last long; her throat was burning like hell…

"Are you still going to kick my butt, mmhmm?" Deidara smiled manically. He tossed Sasuke's body to the cold ground ignorantly. Sasuke twitched a little, but did not wake up.

Suki stared at Deidara's face in horror, wondering why he had dropped the body, if he wanted it so much.

"I like your guts," The criminal said with a proud smirk, "No mutt had ever tried to 'kick my butt' before. You're the first one, mmhmm."

"Really?" Suki sneered, droplets of cold sweat from her forehead hitting the ground, "So what are you gonna do now? Kill me?"

"No," Deidara said, "I want to _keep_ you."

Before Suki could make sense of what he was uttering, Deidara grabbed her by her slender waist. Her rude shock transformed into a struggle to break free, "LET GO OF ME! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU PERVERT?"

With the horrified girl on his shoulder, Deidara jumped into the swirling magical portal, which then closed itself into nothingness.

* * *

End of Chapter 5


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